I took a day off of work (yes, I'm still employed) to visit my friend, Monica, out in Redwood County in southwestern Minnesota.  Monica is like a character from an Anne Tyler novel.  She once told me how she was on her way up to communion at mass one Sunday morning, and felt something brushing around her ankle.                                                                       

When she got back to the pew, she could see one of those little nylon knee-highs hanging out of the bottom of her pant leg, so she began to pull on it.  She pulled and pulled and pulled.  She said it was like a magic trick.  She pulled an entire pair of pantyhose out of her pant leg.

We went to Redwood Falls for a couple bowls of chicken dumpling soup at the Calf Fiend Cafe.  I love it there, and it rivals any metropolitan coffee houses I've seen.  I give them the Minnesota Country Mouse Stamp of Approval for their homemade baked goods.  Heavenly. 

We wrangled an interview with Cat, one of the owners of the cafe which you can listen to on Minnesota  Country Mouse Radio.  These episodes are 15 minutes of my nonsense, a touch of reality radio, and a tribute to Minnesota talent.

After a splendid lunch, Monica and I drove down to Alexander Ramsey Park to visit the animals at the zoo and then we trekked across the suspended bridge to Ramsey Falls which was looking at majestic as ever.

We saw bison, elk and ducks, but we're wondering . . . where are the goats??  Maybe it's just too early in the season for them.  I hope they come back because they're my favorite!